4 Arrested In Fatal Shooting Of Oakland Gardener

OAKLAND (KCBS) – Oakland police have arrested four people in connection with a brazen shooting in May that left a gardener in Oakland’s Fruitvale District dead.

42-year-old Antonio Torres was shot and killed while working in the front yard of a client’s home in the 1600 block of 34th Avenue on the afternoon of May 20.

Last week, police detained a 17-year-old after they received information that he had bragged about the shooting. Oakland Police Sergeant Mike Gantt said the teen confessed to the crime and also provided information about the three other suspects.

KCBS’ Bob Melrose Reports:

“I believe Mr. Torres was targeted because while he was doing the gardening work, the suspects said that they saw he had on a gold chain as well as an iPod,” said Gantt. “He had his iPod headphones in while he was doing the gardening work at that location.”

Gantt said the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has charged all four suspects, ranging in age from 15 to 19, with murder. The 19-year-old has been charged as an adult and the three other suspects have been charged as juveniles.

One Comment

Parents PLEASE TEACH YOUR KIDS RIGHT FROM WRONG!!!!!!
This would never have happened if these boys had been taught right and not let some other kid convince them to do wrong.
Kids… you need to learn that taking things from others and killing them is NOT OK

They should have all been charged as adults. In the same area, a woman who was nine months pregnant was also robbed. They took a necklace she was wearing.
It could very easily be the same group. People like that are sociopaths. They are not redeemable and should be sentenced to 60 years hard labor.

absent parents? 4 misguided youths? that’ll be the plea from their assigned public defender we taxpayers will foot the bill for. My heart goes out to the 42 year old man. For the 4 thugs, public hanging…save tax dollars. And spare me the sobs. Any 8 year old would know right from wrong.